Road repair bid approved by Franklin Twp. had error

Ashley KosciolekOf The Morning Call

An error in a company's bid to patch Franklin Township roads means the township will pay almost $10,000 more than expected.

Lehigh Asphalt Paving and Construction Co. transposed the costs for two materials  the township needed more of the pricier one  on the bid that township supervisors approved as the low bid May 17, township secretary-treasurer Sandy Gaumer said Tuesday.

That meant the original $52,050 bid was $8,400 low, Gaumer said.

Rather than consider a new bid from Lehigh Asphalt, township supervisors will hold a special meeting 9 a.m. Friday to award the contract to the second-lowest  and only other  bidder.

But Gaumer said Lehigh Asphalt asked the township to let it withdraw its bid.

''It's what our solicitor advised us to do,'' she said.

Gaumer said she does not expect the contract's reassignment to delay road repair.

At the May 17 meeting, supervisors awarded a contract for 1,500 tons of road patching material and 300 tons of maintenance materials to Lehigh Asphalt.

The company transposed prices of $27.75 per ton for the cheaper material and $34.75 per ton for the item the township needed more of.

''It's not a big deal,'' Gaumer said. ''They just transposed the numbers.''

Gaumer said that to her knowledge, the township has not had other problems with Lehigh Asphalt.

The company, which supplied the township with patching materials last year, will continue to honor last year's prices until the contract ends Friday.

Because it is a general contract, the materials are not designated for specific roads. But Gaumer said supervisors at their next meeting will open bids for work on part of Pohopoco Drive and maybe some of Green Street.